I always thought that the rainbow rank belts were just to keep impatient American students, who are incapable of delaying gratification, interested long enough to actually attain a black belt. Not that they're authoritative, but in Asian martial arts movies you never see anything but white belts and black belts, which seems to imply that you are a student until you are a master.

In hindsight, that came out sounding like I was disparaging your effort and progress, which I did not intend at all. Sincere congratulations on your achievement!

My admittedly snarky comment was directed at the industry itself, and on (us) lazy Americans in general.

My hunch is that if a dojo opened up in the US and the sensei told their students "You will study with me as a white belt for at least five years and then you may test for your black belt. Only then will you be considered a serious student," they'd never get anyone at all to sign up.

So again, sorry if that sounded like a personal attack. And, uh, how's the vegetarian thing going? (Can't help you with that; I'm an shamelessly irredeemable omnivore.)

Hey, no worries! I didn't take it as snark or an attack :-). Leading Edge is following a regular progression of belts as far as I can determine, American or no, but I think black belt really is when you are the most serious of students. But seeing the one person in our dojo who tested for purple, well, I think she'd tell you she's had to take it very seriously :-).

Still vegetarian, and it's going quite well. Had a few moments of 'that smells good' of course, but so it goes :-).